K-12 Education – Bob McDonnell’s video claims a record of “education reform” and “increased funding” for education. Much of the increased funding the Governor speaks of was the result of a bipartisan legislative package providing $736 million in new funding to K-12 education.

The Truth: McDonnell is positioning himself as a supporter of education but in his first two months as Governor called for $731 million in cuts to K-12 funding. In the end, a total of $645 million was cut during the first two years of the McDonnell administration. In this year’s budget, he touted $438 million and another $58 million in new K-12 public education spending; what he fails to acknowledge is that it isn’t new spending if you were replacing your own funding cuts. In total, McDonnell would have decreased K-12 public education spending $242 million if he had his way. The Democratic State Senate prevented a further $86 million from McDonnell’s axe his first year and fought for an additional $212 million infusion this year. Virginia Democrats are responsible for the increase in K-12 public education funding over the last budget, not McDonnell.

Higher Education — This week, in a letter to college presidents and board members, McDonnell wrote: “Both the General Assembly and I proposed this new state funding for higher education with the clear understanding that institutions will temper the need to raise in-state tuition and fees this coming year.”

The Truth: The average statewide tuition increased 9.7 percent in 2010-2011. McDonnell is highlighting education accomplishments which aren’t his own now that he is a “short-lister” for Vice President, while glossing over the fact that under his watch, college is less affordable for Virginia’s students. The foundation of McDonnell’s reforms is a requirement that higher education institutions show “value” to students, but Virginia’s public institutions routinely ranked amongst the best in the country. Such an unnecessary mandate merely contributes to the administrative costs of universities.

Jobs– McDonnell’s commercial claims Virginia is growing business and jobs. At the end of the commercial, McDonnell says, “Virginia’s growing strong and so is our future.”

The Truth: Local newspapers saround the Commonwealth are reporting significant job losses in many small communities, including a Smithfield meat packaging plant that moved to North Carolina cutting 425 jobs. Under Bob McDonnell, Virginia is a less welcoming state for business and people. His policy proposals during the last legislative session attacked Virginia’s teachers, prompting a Williamsburg kindergarten teacher and daughter of Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment to write “Don’t stick it to the teachers” in an email to her father on the day of the vote. Our highly educated workforce is essential to economic growth, and Bob McDonnell’s education policies hurt our economic competiveness.

“Best Place” – Bob McDonnell’s commercial claims Virginia is the “best place to make a living”.

The Truth: Under Governor McDonnell, the state has been precisely the opposite by waging a war on the rights of women and LGBT Virginians and making the state less friendly to families by enacting dangerous firearms policies.

McDonnell’s video glosses over the bad policies he has enacted in Virginia. We know the real Bob McDonnell, and he makes a poor candidate to represent the United States of America as Vice President.

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The Virginia Young Democrats is a membership organization representing young people under the age of 35 who identify as Democrats or support the tenets of the Democratic Party and reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Young Democrats furthers the ideals and principles of the Democratic Party, thereby improving our society through peaceful reform and effective government that serves those in need.